Chemistry and Chemical Biology celebrate Alumni Day

The UNM department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology hosts the Alumni Day celebration ribbon cutting to see the brand new renovation of the teaching and research labs on Friday, Sept. 30 starting in the SMLC Atrium.

Over the past few years, enrollment in UNM's Chemistry Department has grown more than 80 percent, which has contributed to the overall double digit enrollment increase in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to Chemistry, Reibsomer Hall is used to train students in Engineering, Biology, Physics and Astronomy, Biochemistry and the pre-health professions.

Built in 1969, Reibsomer's labs and classrooms were not able to accommodate modern research instrumentation. The available space was fully used with no room for expansion. Researchers and students were forced to navigate a warren of small rooms with inadequate cooling, power and computer data access. In desperate need for significant renovation for more than twenty years, funding from GO Bond C has alleviated major safety concerns and provide a greatly improved environment for New Mexico's future chemists.

Tours of the rennovations begin at 2 p.m. for SMLC and Clark Labs, along with an ice cream social. At 3 p.m. the official ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin, followed by a reception at 3:30 p.m. After that there will be a departmental colloquium by Professor Benjamin Lear and an all-alumni open house and silent auction at Hodgin Hall.